In motor vehicles such as passenger cars, electrical power is often provided to the driver's seat and front passenger seat. Such power may be used to drive small electric motors, e.g., to adjust the seat position or backrest angle, or to heat the seats in cold weather. Power for the seats is provided by means of permanent wiring. Typically, a power cable extends up through the floor, beneath the seat, and connects to the seat wiring through the use of a plug-and-socket connection.
In order to be adjustable, the front seats of an automobile move back and forth on tracks which are fixed to the floor of the car, Thus, the front seats are essentially permanently attached to the vehicle floor. In contrast, certain other types of motor vehicles, such as vans, small buses, and minivans, have passenger seats which are secured to the floor with releasable locking elements so that the seats can be removed, e.g., to transform the vehicle interior into a cargo space or so that the seats can be re-positioned.
FIG. 6 shows a simple locking element according to the prior art for securing a passenger seat to the floor of a van or similar vehicle. An upwardly extending bolt 30 is fixed to the vehicle floor 5. The passenger seat frame includes a tube 32 which rests on the floor 5, and is fixed to the floor by a removable clamp 34 which is mounted on the bolt the bolt 30 and secured by a wing nut 36. Thus, by loosening the clamp 34, the seat can be removed.
Heretofore, vans, small buses, and minivans have used only passenger seats that do not require an electrical supply. That is because it is not practical to use the known wiring system to electrify the passenger seats in such vehicles, due to the need to move the power cord along with the seat, and the fact that, when the seats are removed, an exposed power cord would remain exposed on the vehicle floor. The electric supply cables required for known power operated seats would have to be laid on the floor of the vehicle, where they would be in the way, even if suitable coverings were provided.